Examples of Forestry Projects

Forest Restoration Partnership Grants and RC&D Councils

In 2008, eight RC&D Councils throughout the country received a total of $740,000 in Forest Service grants to implement various forest restoration projects. Most of the projects involve the removal and use of woody biomass in forestlands to improve forest health and reduce the risk of wildfire. The RC&D Councils awarded grants were: Northwest California RC&D Council, Western Central Highland RC&D Council (Idaho), Upper Peninsula RC&D Council (Michigan), Top of the Ozarks RC&D Council (Missouri), Southwest Oregon RC&D Council, River Country RC&D Council (Wisconsin), Southwest Badger RC&D Council (Wisconsin), and Western Wyoming RC&D Council.

The Southwest Badger RC&D Council in Wisconsin helped form the Wisconsin Carbon Work Group, made up of representatives from government, industry, private conservation organizations, and farmers, to develop a carbon-crediting program. As part of that effort, the council converted 30 acres of highly erodible cropland to a hardwood forest. The landowner received a one-time payment of $15,000 from WE Energy as part of that company’s effort to voluntarily offset its greenhouse gas emissions.

The Columbia Pacific RC&D Council and a consortium of local universities are developing a system to calculate carbon sequestration resulting from various forest management alternatives. As a result, these economic incentives are expected to enhance forest health as local landowners will be able to utilize these measurement techniques and computer models to sell carbon credits connected with the management of their forestlands.